Publication Date:
1987-11-13
Description:
Genetic analyses suggested that the opaque-2 (o2) locus in maize acts as a positive, transacting, transcriptional activator of the zein seed storage-protein genes. Because isolation of the gene is requisite to understanding the molecular details of this regulation, transposon mutagenesis with the transposable element suppressor-mutator (Spm) was carried out, and three mutable o2 alleles were obtained. One of these alleles contained an 8.3-kilobase autonomous Spm, another a 6.8-kilobase nonautonomous Spm, and the third an unidentified transposon that is unrelated to Spm. A DNA sequence flanking the autonomous Spm insertion was verified to be o2-specific and provided a probe to clone a wild-type allele. Northern blots indicated that the gene is expressed in wild-type endosperm but not in leaf tissues or in endosperms homozygous for a mutant allele of the O2 gene. A transcript was detected in endosperms homozygous for mutations at opaque-7 and floury-2, an indication that O2 expression is independent of these two other putative regulators of zein synthesis.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Notes: 〈/span〉Schmidt, R J -- Burr, F A -- Burr, B -- GM31093/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ -- New York, N.Y. -- Science. 1987 Nov 13;238(4829):960-3.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Author address: 〈/span〉Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973.〈br /〉〈span class="detail_caption"〉Record origin:〈/span〉 〈a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2823388" target="_blank"〉PubMed〈/a〉
Keywords:
Alleles
;
Cloning, Molecular
;
DNA Restriction Enzymes
;
*DNA Transposable Elements
;
*Genes, Regulator
;
Homozygote
;
Mutation
;
Nucleic Acid Hybridization
;
Plants/*genetics
;
Zea mays/genetics
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
